If you love spaghetti but like me, you always make too much and end up with leftover spaghetti, you need these Leftover Spaghetti Noodle Recipes in your life! My Secret Ingredient Spaghetti Sauce is on regular rotation at our house (and one of the most popular recipes on the blog) so I always have excess noodles. And since I'm constantly looking for new ways to use up leftover spaghetti noodles, I imagine I'm not the only one...
I've created my own recipes to reinvent my leftover spaghetti, such as this Turkey Tetrazzini, and rounded up some more recipes from my fellow food bloggers. I hand-picked the best leftover spaghetti recipes for this roundup of 12 easy leftover spaghetti recipes. It includes everything from fried leftover spaghetti to leftover spaghetti pie, leftover spaghetti salad, spaghetti casserole, and more. If you're not sure what to do with leftover spaghetti noodles or looking for leftover inspiration, look no further!
No one wants to be wasting food, but the same leftovers can get really boring. And once you run out of spaghetti sauce, the noodles are no longer nearly as inviting.
So finding new and delicious ways to use up leftovers is the key!
Fortunately, spaghetti is a great pantry staple, economical, and extremely versatile. And it's easy to use as the base for a great leftover meal.
In fact, leftover spaghetti recipes can even become the star of the show!
This Peanut Pasta Salad was born out of my need to use up leftover spaghetti noodles. But it's sooo good, it's taken on a life of its own! When my nephew recently came to town to visit, I told him I'd make him anything he wanted (maybe he saw something on Instagram he liked?)
And what did he choose out of my 500+ recipes? He chose THIS healthy Leftover Spicy Peanut Pasta Salad recipe because I'd made it when I was visiting my parents and he LOVED it that much!
Leftover Spaghetti Noodle Recipes
Another one of my favorite ways to use up or revive leftover spaghetti noodles is to mix them with Basil Pesto!
❔Frequently Asked Questions
Spaghetti will last for 3-4 days in the fridge in a sealed container.
Don't let spaghetti sit out for more than 2 hours before refrigerating it.
Leftover spaghetti can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container or plastic freezer bag (make sure it's a "freezer bag" and not a "storage bag"). Freezing spaghetti noodles is a great way to avoid waste, as it only lasts a few days in the fridge.
The best way to reheat frozen spaghetti is to defrost it in the fridge overnight, then add 2 teaspoons of water to it (per cup of spaghetti) and place the noodles in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave on full power for 30-45 seconds, then remove, stir, and return to microwave at 30-second intervals, as many times as needed, until it's heated through.
Alternatively, once your noodles are defrosted, you can put them in a colander/strainer and dip them into boiling water for approximately 30 seconds or until they are warmed up.
If you're looking for leftover spaghetti ideas and want to breathe new life into your leftover noodles, then you'll love these 12 easy leftover spaghetti noodle recipes!
📋More Leftover Recipes
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Marie Porter
What great ideas! I'm especially interested in the spaghetti pie - I bet that's a bunch of fun to make / eat!
Julia
I can't tell you the number of times I throw away spaghetti noodles. I always make too many . This post is a game changer. Saving, thank you!
Terri Gilson
You're welcome, Julia! No more waste-yay!
Sue
How creative are all of these ideas! I've really been focusing on decreasing food waste. spaghetti noodles often look so uninviting in the fridge as leftovers. Looking forward to giving noodles a new life.
Terri Gilson
That is so awesome that you're decreasing food waste! I'm so glad these recipes inspired you, Sue!
Bernice
OMG you're going to laugh Terri. My youngest son just moved out on his own and made bolognese....and boiled TWO whole packages of spaghetti. He was somehow surprised with the piles of spaghetti he had left. LOL
I'm sending him this roundup tonight!
Terri Gilson
That's too funny, Bernice! Yes, he really needs these recipes!
Vanessa
Now I want to make lots of leftover spaghetti on purpose!!
Terri Gilson
I do that too, Vanessa!
Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady
This is such a great post. I am notorious for cooking WAY too much spaghetti. I usually use it to make chicken spaghetti, but love the other ideas you are sharing!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Cindy!
Colleen
I ALWAYS end up with way to much spaghetti and I always feel bad about wasting them. So thanks for putting together this delicious looking collection of ideas to use the leftovers. This will come in handy after our next spaghetti night!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Colleen - enjoy!